i need to make a few pairs of large wings. they need to be light weight, comfortable, and survive a 4 hour car trip. card bord is to flimsy and plywood is to heavy. i don't have tomuch money to spend on them either (thats the kicker). does any one have any tips or advice?

"Your eyes may be the window to your soul,
but your zipper is the window to you underwear....."

i think i can try to help you with that. first, try to get some wire at a hardware store. bend it to the shape desired and twist the ends. then, try getting some somewhat-transparent, glittery fabric to wrap around it and tie at the ends where you twisted the wire. as for attaching them to your costume, i'll need to know what kind of costume you're doing (is it eternal sailor moon?) so i can determine that.

"If I just gather my courage, my dreams will continue into reality. You are the one who will guide me; I'll grow and keep chasing you."

Is bend a wire frame and then cover over the "skeleton" with white muslin then stuff anything (I use extra of whatever's lying around my house) at the tops to make the impression of bones. Then I just hot glue the feathers on and attach the straps. My way is very good because they're usually very sturdy on your back, depending on how you hook on the straps, and they look very realistic unlike most of the wings you buy online where they are flat.

If you've seen the cosplayers, Rosiel and CuteKawaii on cosplaylab.com, this technique is the same that they use.

Oh! Forgot to mention, these wings can also endure a very bumpy ride to California (that's 4 days stuffed in the backseat for me), horrible service and shipping techniques at the airport, and congoers that randomly ram into you at cons. All you really have to do is touch up a few areas and bring an extra bag of feathers with you in case too much starts falling out.

One year, my wings seemed to be targeted by everyone and I had to go and buy 2 bags of white feathers because everyone kept taking chunks of feathers as they slide by.

i agree... or you can take some cardboard in the shape of wings, strech white stockings over it, then buy some white feathers... but if you mean those very large gaint wings... it may come out cheaper to buy them from an online masquarde shop

I generally like to brag about my work, well, not really brag as much as glow under a person's praise. I don't mind buying things from cosplay shops but I'm really very picky when I do and I usually have a certain look I'm going for. Like if I don't have time to do wings, I usually commission someone I know that makes the exact wings I do because I hate the flat ones. I don't even know why I hate the flat ones....

I'm kinda weird like this...See, I love making my own props because I get to tell them about it and give myself bragging rights but I love posing with OTHER people's props because I just love holding theirs. It's weird

a good material to use for the blue wings would be polyethylene backer rod,(just look up backer rod on the net ) they use it in log homes weird I know. But it is extremly light comes in many different sizes and when you stick wire down the center of it, it works beautifuly.
2 things though.
1. you must use hot glue, polyethylene is resistant to most glues that are oil based and from experiance hot glue works the best,
2. you have to use an alchahol based paint to get it to stick to it, spray paint should work.

after the main bones are glued together, you may want to have a few continuouse peices of wire going through there..in case, just hot glue some sheer onto the peices and whalla..

Choice of faith should not be somthing that seperates us, but somthing that ties us..love is the ultimate key.

she's teh one that used the wire eh?.... tehy came out good... but if you have an extre $4 you can go to a hobby shop ---HOBBY LOBBY--- and buy a pair of doll wings... that's what i did for the naoki... then i bought some feathers and thinkened the wings and added the curlly thing... it ended up costinng about $7 but they are so cute^.^ now that i twiked them